[EL] ELB News and Commentary 1/28/19

Mon Jan 28 07:30:16 PST 2019

Is WaPo Fact Checker Right to Give 4 Pinnochios to Trump’s Claim That Hush Money Payments to Former Mistresses Were Not a Campaign Finance Crime? I Would Give None.<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103352>
Posted on January 28, 2019 7:21 am<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103352> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Here’s how the WaPo fact check<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/28/trumps-fantasy-claim-that-michael-cohens-hush-money-payments-were-no-crime/?utm_term=.e4684b699f20> ends:

Trump says he never ordered Cohen to break the law and silence Daniels and McDougal. But when he says such payoffs are not criminal to begin with, his defense goes off the rails. Trump is presenting a legal theory as fact to minimize his fixer’s crimes. It’s a bizarre claim to make with Cohen heading to prison, and it merits Four Pinocchios.

As ELB readers know, I think that the payments could well be a crime, but there is a non-frivolous argument put forward by Brad Smith and others that it is not. After further reflection, I wrote a post called John Edwards, Donald Trump and the Criminalization of Politics<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=102839> which discusses how complex the issue is. While I still believe Trump could face criminal liability, the claim he does not does not merit any Pinocchios, much less four. It is a legal question that would have to be tested in court.
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Posted in campaign finance<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, campaigns<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>

“After a Messy Election, States Push to Make Voting Easier”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103350>
Posted on January 28, 2019 7:14 am<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103350> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Governing reports.<http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/sl-voting-rights-states-election.html>
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Posted in Uncategorized<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>

House Judiciary Committee Hearing Tuesday on H.R. 1<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103348>
Posted on January 28, 2019 7:10 am<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103348> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY

Witness List

Time               Date                                                    Place

10:00 AM       Tuesday, January 29, 2019              2141 Rayburn House Office Building

Subject: H.R. 1, the “For the People Act of 2019”

Ms. Vanita Gupta

President and Chief Executive Officer

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Ms. Sherrilyn Ifill

President and Director-Counsel

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Ms. Sarah Turberville

Director, The Constitution Project

Project on Government Oversight

Mr. J. Christian Adams

President and General Counsel

Public Interest Legal Foundation

Mr. Hans von Spakovsky

Senior Legal Fellow

Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, The Heritage Foundation

Mr. Adav Noti

Chief of Staff

Campaign Legal Center

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Posted in Uncategorized<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>

“You might be seeing headlines or tweets tonight that claim Texas says 58,000 non-citizens have voted in Texas. That is not true.”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103346>
Posted on January 28, 2019 7:08 am<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103346> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

So begins this tweet thread<https://twitter.com/TexasTribune/status/1088961160253267969> from the indispensable Texas Tribune, based upon this article<https://www.texastribune.org/2019/01/25/texas-flags-tens-thousands-voters-citizenship-check/>.
[https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/776170850802204672/X0LHxQ54_bigger.jpg]<https://twitter.com/TexasTribune>
<https://twitter.com/TexasTribune>
Texas Tribune<https://twitter.com/TexasTribune>
✔@TexasTribune<https://twitter.com/TexasTribune>

<https://twitter.com/TexasTribune/status/1088961160253267969>

1/ You might be seeing headlines or tweets tonight that claim Texas says 58,000 non-citizens have voted in Texas.

That is not true.

That is not what the state has said.

Here is what we know. #txlege<https://twitter.com/hashtag/txlege?src=hash> https://bit.ly/2FYc5lQ <https://t.co/wyvcrEDkmD>
<https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1088961160253267969>
17.5K<https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1088961160253267969>
4:45 PM - Jan 25, 2019<https://twitter.com/TexasTribune/status/1088961160253267969>
Twitter Ads info and privacy<https://support.twitter.com/articles/20175256>
<https://t.co/wyvcrEDkmD>
[https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1088943636954341376/PxFRo3QB?format=jpg&name=600x314]<https://t.co/wyvcrEDkmD>
Texas officials flag tens of thousands of voters for citizenship ch...<https://t.co/wyvcrEDkmD>

The list compiled by the Texas secretary of state contains 95,000 names. It’s unclear exactly how many of those individuals are not actually U.S. citizens and whether that number will be available ...<https://t.co/wyvcrEDkmD>
texastribune.org<https://t.co/wyvcrEDkmD>

<https://twitter.com/TexasTribune/status/1088961160253267969>
14.5K people are talking about this<https://twitter.com/TexasTribune/status/1088961160253267969>

The Texas story has the President back to evidence-free tweeting<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1089513936435716096> about voter fraud:
[https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/874276197357596672/kUuht00m_bigger.jpg]<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump>
<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump>
Donald J. Trump<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump>
✔@realDonaldTrump<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump>

<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1089513936435716096>

58,000 non-citizens voted in Texas, with 95,000 non-citizens registered to vote. These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. All over the country, especially in California, voter fraud is rampant. Must be stopped. Strong voter ID! @foxandfriends<https://twitter.com/foxandfriends>
<https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1089513936435716096>
125K<https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1089513936435716096>
5:22 AM - Jan 27, 2019<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1089513936435716096>
Twitter Ads info and privacy<https://support.twitter.com/articles/20175256>
<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1089513936435716096>
74K people are talking about this<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1089513936435716096>

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Posted in fraudulent fraud squad<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=8>, The Voting Wars<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>

Lawyers’ Committee Slams Texas AG for Unsupported Voter Fraud Claims<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103342>
Posted on January 25, 2019 5:16 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103342> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Via email:

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement in response to an announcement made by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton<http://email.prnewswire.com/wf/click?upn=YV-2Bgt-2Foio5E3bS9XkKrQGu4-2BoQJ2L8mvzoJgkzhgrfFKirgx55gJA-2BleVKu1yJwasXzEnSczrjXAEFS7MEXl19tYnEj5Z3sx0IlZjJ44OROimJxNtZmB-2BPNfwRzkJmkYCjjrdnk34R-2B2D1lq5EYUJmcXNpqeI58l1A-2FGIXFN9ds9D84ls-2FEQ9yDwuQrYfnBrJkD1CxQOCkKG-2F3RxxIz5k4Je-2FOJud6Qdoe11rR0u2Zd1E4XUvXgcASJ3YaONsG3m_MxsnV1nFJ0N6iaI6ROK3eERHn3LdCNHdSOXIWZIS7ekEoqe0xiUYCeWVdORMAMemJB84Cera8qak2j6zjNOKdoPO9b1Sl0rQXL9IcrQhXRddm4CpZwxijIqFBKXDAj4Wxexm7BJidfAJAZLNyzAAZUciH-2BgEWs-2BqdygolCYOqPEeUKEiJ2CPmeSmDwhtku5Ccg2PMQHybvwor6tI2cJOpyRRtlcv0jCBAxVo4cY0JkF1yi6zt-2Biztn4EakBo9x-2BCLLywJUMHM6ZykYX7C-2BVqr-2FoN5EW9nA8GVMZ-2FYK7ABTQV-2BMZLhCkwds0gqZ-2FPBm-2Fd> regarding alleged non-U.S. citizens on the state’s registration rolls:

“Advancing exaggerated claims of vote fraud has become the latest go-to tactic employed by those who seek to lay the groundwork for unnecessary and discriminatory voter suppression measures.  We are highly skeptical of Attorney General Paxton’s latest claims that come fully unsubstantiated and devoid of context. Similar claims made by election officials have been advanced with fanfare and bluster, only to be proven false in the end.”

Clarke continued: “In this current environment, one of the unfortunate consequences of this kind of announcement is the chilling effect on the electorate, particularly among communities of color. By advancing these spurious claims, without an iota of supporting evidence, Paxton’s statement undermines public confidence in our democracy.”
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Posted in fraudulent fraud squad<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=8>

Michigan: “GOP asks Supreme Court to block Dem settlement in gerrymandering suit”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103339>
Posted on January 25, 2019 3:18 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=103339> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Detroit News<https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/25/benson-proposed-settlement-redraw-11-michigan-house-seats/2679732002/>:

Michigan Republicans are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hit pause on a federal lawsuit alleging GOP gerrymandering, a move that could disrupt a settlement agreement announced Friday by Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

Benson’s deal with plaintiffs would require Michigan to redraw at least 11 state House districts. It would likely force a recalibration of an unknown number of surrounding districts as well.

But attorneys for Republican lawmakers are asking the nation’s highest court to intervene and delay any action in the suit until justices consider arguments in similar gerrymandering cases out of North Carolina and Maryland they are expected to take up in March.
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Posted in redistricting<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>, Supreme Court<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>

--
Rick Hasen
Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science
UC Irvine School of Law
401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite 1000
Irvine, CA 92697-8000
949.824.3072 - office
rhasen at law.uci.edu<mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu>
http://www.law.uci.edu/faculty/full-time/hasen/
http://electionlawblog.org<http://electionlawblog.org/>
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